someotherguy

They still sell some stuff online but I think supplies are getting thin. I wanted to get some extra bulbs for fixing my climate control too, so I just ordered 20 similar bulbs off Amazon; will post back with that info if they turn out to be suitable for the applications. Richard

He removed it from an '04 SS and my wife has the same one in her '06 SS so I'd say you're safe getting it for your '05. Richard

A stupid amount of mine are burned out, but the switches themselves are still in excellent shape - no paint rubbed off. Anybody know the correct bulb # I can get to fix these with? I'm handy with the soldering iron, so no problem there. I've got some bulbs for the cluster but it looks like the angled position of the wires on the base makes them not really suitable for the switch bulbs, which have the leads coming straight across horizontally on the base. EDIT...dumbass me shoulda searched first. Found the 3 pager with some info - http://www.silveradoss.com/forums/topic/56992-5-steering-wheel-control-light-fix/ Cliff notes: someone said Radio Shack part # 272-1154 50ma 12V bulbs, someone else said # 272-1092 60ma 12V fit better, replicating that here for future searches. It should also be noted the 60ma bulbs are rated at a 10K hour life, while the 50ma are only 5K hour life rating. Thanks, Richard

Once Ford got into the 15K+ GVWR market they didn't bail like GM did. F450, F550 have been around all those years. Richard

Would have to see the trucks to tell you what they actually were. But it's not uncommon for people to play with badges; 4500-5500's were around previously from GM but they bailed out of the medium duty market years ago. They were based off the Chevy Express/GMC Savana van body and had the typical fiberglass tilt nose. Before that they were called Kodiak & Topkick and for a while used the same cab the 1988-1998 regular light duty trucks had but again with the big tilt nose. The "real" 3500HD that was made from 1991-2002 in the U.S., and by real I mean a 15000 lb GVWR truck with a straight axle front end, Dana 80 rear, 4 wheel disc, and 19.5" wheels.. used the 1988-1998 pickup truck cab and front clip but had its own unique chassis which was based off the motorhome platform...these trucks continued in Mexico for several more years. Here, the 3500HD badge started being applied to the GMT900 3500's which were HD in name only, had none of the characteristics or load capacity of the previous models. These brand new 4500-5500 are neat looking trucks in that they are back to using the pickup truck cab but with the tall tilt fiberglass nose. They look like they'll make nice medium duty trucks but it's too bad GM abandoned the old 3500HD idea so many years ago. Those were tough old trucks. I miss my 3500HD wrecker, I built this truck from a basket case 1994 parts truck that used to be that rotten 6.5 turbo diesel; I did a full swap on it using the Vortec 7.4 out of a 1996 model and an NV4500 5 speed, as well as a full 1995-up interior swap. Richard

^^^ this, if you're good with soldering. Less than $20 for enough steppers to replace every single one plus some bulbs. Richard

LOL...I bet you love it! Welcome! Richard

The Club is a joke. As mentioned all they will do is cut the steering wheel. There's also a way to break the club without even damaging the wheel, but I'm not going to go into that. Another thing about the Club is this: these trucks do not have a locking steering column. This makes them slightly more tricky to steal with a tow truck, because your truck will swing all over the road as they try to get away with it, forcing them to stop and deal with that. If you have a Club on there it will only let the wheel turn a little bit, making their job easier. This coming from direct experience with towing... Richard

Nice low miles! Quality pager alarm with starter kill but it must be installed by someone that gives a damn enough to bury the thing so that it's not easily popped out to disable it. Most guys have their "favorite spot" to install an alarm and that's usually an easy one for a thief to get to and snatch it out. Tilt sensor on the alarm can help catch them jacking it up to steal wheels; it will also let you know if they snatch it with a wrecker but in that case it's likely gonna be gone too quick to do anything other than call the cops. At least if you're near enough that the pager can alert you, you can call them sooner vs. later. Remove the driver door exterior handle, pop the lock cylinder out of it, fill the hole and paint it. Remove the rod that ran from it to the door latch. If they want in they'll break the window but that cuts down on their opportunities to easily get in the truck by popping the lock out of the handle. Consider a Ravelco system, though again these are only as good as their installation. Nothing gonna stop them from stealing it with a tow truck, but you can at least deter some of the regular crew. Richard

Can happen with just about any vehicle, but at least with the ISS you can confirm 100% via RPO code...if you're an educated buyer. If I was going to fool someone with a fake ISS you'd think I could also come up with a fake COA if I was really interested in faking. It's not impossible to fake a SPID label either if one was a real tryhard case but run the VIN for a build list and the fakery falls apart fast. Richard

Just to wrap this up, I replaced the stepper motor for the fuel gauge and all seems well. I bought enough to do the whole cluster but since the rest of it has been 100% so far I'll probably wait until another one fails before saying F it and do all the rest at once. Not like it's hard to get it out of the truck and get to work on it. Richard

Yep and Diana is here to spam for them! With her "dark grey metallic 2005 SS" ... anyway back to the pets, this is Rowdy, she's a rescue from a wrecker impound lot. Feral cat and she's my best buddy. When she's not drawing blood. Richard

Still don't get the hang-up on the certificate. Trucks change hands, they get lost. Doesn't make it any less of an Intimidator.. Richard

I believe you but just as others said surface rust on the frame is very normal. The coating on the frame is just a thin layer of wax from the factory, it wears off, and surface rust sets in. Again the real test on the GMT800 trucks (99-06) is how do the brake lines look, because those rust out like crazy if you're anywhere that gets salty. Hell I built this 1994 3500HD and although I POR-15'd the frame to make it look better, this thing was nothing but surface rust, looks awful but is 100% solid. BUT, the fact that this dealer has had the truck all this time...says a lot...did they even tell you why it had suddenly gone into the shop last month? As I had said earlier in this post from the flaws the truck has it's a bit overpriced, so...it does seem to be getting less attractive by the minute! Richard

Well that didn't take long! Thanks for outing yourself as the spammer I already knew you were Richard

Ugh...sorry to hear this it's why I hate trusting anyone else with working on my vehicles. Most stuff I can do myself but there's always something you gotta farm out, and then shit like this happens. Richard

Y'all chatting with a spammer but I'm sure most of you already know that. Richard

I ordered one off Amazon, AC Delco for about $20 less than getting it at Autozone, with free shipping if ya got Prime. Plus no tax depending on where you are/where it ships from. Part # for the DR44G is 15263858 Richard

Tahoe comes with a rear bar, the truck doesn't. So it's a somewhat easy-to-find boneyard piece you can swap in. Richard

I thought trimming these bump stops made the ride really harsh, since they're not technically a bump stop, but more like an additional rubber "spring" ?? I've always wondered what you're supposed to do when you drop these trucks since the bump stops are different. On older trucks we just chopped em or installed shorter ones that came with the drop kit. Or am I confusing these with GMT900 pieces? Richard

psualumni / matslp488 - thanks for that info. My Intimidator did not have the decal under the SS badge, fairly sure my tailgate was original (before I had the truck painted), and from brochure pics I can find online those trucks didn't have it either - but that's not definitive proof as brochure/flyer pics are often pre-production. I am thinking though that the Intimidator didn't have the decal, maybe because they thought it would be "too much" along with the Intimidator script. Any other ISS owners here that could chime in? Richard

and just asking for clarification, these never came on the black trucks, right? After so many have been painted since it's hard to go by what you see today, but I don't recall seeing the sticker on the originals, either. Just the "other color" trucks. Richard

I do believe it's part # 15178667 but the price is stupid when you find it - like $80 or more. Not sure if the decal is clear background to fit any color SSS, though. From years ago there were a few different people here doing decals. Kelley Performance was one of 'em, doesn't seem like an active member anymore so you should try email or txt the phone # in the first post -> http://www.silveradoss.com/forums/topic/81321-official-kelley-performance-decal-thread-custom-sss-font-decals-supercharged-turbocharged-boost-life-decals Richard

Could be wrong but I think Tony was suggesting 285/40/22 for a better fit. 285/45/22 is what's common out there because it's an OEM size. That's what is on my truck right now at stock height, but I had bought 285/40's for when I was going to drop it. Richard

Welcome and congrats! I can see where that AWD would come in handy around TN if you're gonna drive it year-round. I lived about 100 miles east of Memphis for a short while and y'all get just enough winter to make it count. Richard